In The Crease

Last week's incident in which Tie Domi attacked a fan who had fallen into the penalty box in Philadelphia's First Union Center could have been avoided. The plexiglass behind that box is the lowest in the league, allowing Domi to easily squirt the heckler twice with a water bottle and permitted the fan to lean over the top of the glass, which gave way. The NHL should have standard heights for glass around the penalty box and the rest of the rink. In Washington, for instance, the glass at both ends is very high, and puck-handling Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig readily banks the puck high off the glass and out of the zone....

Expect the Rangers to try to force underachieving wing Valeri Kamensky (14 goals through Sunday) to accept a buyout of his contract over the summer. ( New York owes him three years and $12 million.) If Kamensky refuses, don't be surprised if the Rangers send him to a distant minor league next season as punishment....

When free agents start signing contracts in July, there should be many three-year deals. Why? The NHL is encouraging teams not to extend contracts past 2003-04, when the CBA ends....

Greg Davis, a 21-year-old unrestricted free-agent forward from McGill University in Montreal, has at least three teams interested in signing him....

Each of the 14 national teams participating in the Olympics will be required to name a 30-man roster by July 23 so that drug testing can begin. The final 23-man rosters must be submitted no later than Dec. 22....

Panthers star Pavel Bure, who led the NHL with 58 goals at week's end, isn't making friends in Florida with his selfishness. With the Panthers leading the Canadiens 2-1 in the final minute of a game last week, Bure was on the ice looking for an open-net goal when Montreal tied the match. Then, in overtime, he played nearly the entire five minutes.